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Joan Rivers still relevant

Last night I had an otherworldly experience seeing Joan Rivers do stand up. I sat a few feet from Joan, nothing between the iconic comic and myself. It’s pretty awesome being in the presence of such greatness. At 77 she’s still going strong.

Joan’s never been more relevant. She became a household name to an entirely new generation after winning The Celebrity Apprentice a few seasons ago. And the documentary on her, JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK, won an award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. And will likely win many more. She’s selling her costume jewelry on QVC. So really, she has no need to play a room of 100 people in Manhattan. Yet she continues to.

I asked myself why before I saw this show last night. And after seeing it, and luckily meeting Joan again, it all clarified. Joan Rivers is a performer who feeds off her fans. She lives for the intimate comedy club crowd. It’s needed, obviously, for her happiness and her act. In that sense, she’s still so down to earth.

These NYC shows, put on by Spin Cycle, see Joan donating the proceeds to God’s Love We Deliver and Guide Dogs for the Blind, two groups who don’t escape her acidic tongue during the show. Midwesterners, lesbians, Chinese women, Oprah, and Bernadette Peters all were the butt of her jokes.

Joan Rivers is a compassionate soul. A young soul. And she’s the complete opposite of her ridiculous persona. In crafting this act she’s laughed at everyone, and in doing so, has hopefully made everyone laugh too.